Siege engine

[hoplite14gr]

Please post it if you can
Kind regards
Stefanos

[Philhellene]

Take it

[Deleated]

It`s the maximum size, permitted here.

[hoplite14gr]

MICHANIMA here can be any mechanical device or engine.
The type is not specified, so the speculation is between Siege Tower or
"Chelone" -battering ram in protected cabin.
ANAPSAS here is the archaic iregular form of the verb for seting something on something.
Many people confuse that with the verb ANAVO to set something in flames and think that the tyrrant set the poor guy on fire. This is not the case.
In my opinion the only machines that would go near the fortification are the tower and the chelone so it must be one of them.
I think Konolly has done good reconstructions of both.
Kind regards
Stefanos

[D B Campbell]

Well I have some Greek & Roman siege example...

I am flattered that Comerus Gallus has taken the trouble to post the colour plates from my little Siege Machinery book (although the publisher, Osprey, may take a rather dim view of copyright infringement!).

To answer Jona's question: yes, indeed, Dionysius was at the forefront of siege machinery development in the Greek world, having presumably taken inspiration from his Carthaginian foes (who were, themselves, presumably influenced by the Persian ancestry of their Phoenician forebears). Notice the frequent use of the word "presumably", as we cannot be certain about the precise sequence of events.

Diodorus Siculus leads us to believe that Dionysius assembled craftsmen from all over the Mediterranean ca. 399 BC, and equipped himself with siege towers, battering rams, and "catapults" (at this stage, in my opinion, this was the gastraphetes, or bow-machine, rather than the fully-fledged torsion catapult).

No Greek (as far as we know) had used siege machines in a systematic manner prior to this event. Thucydides mentions a flame-throwing machine on two occasions, but it was a very rudimentary contraption which was, of course, effective only against wooden fortifications (such as the temporary defences at Delium in 424 BC). It is never heard of again, in Greek and Roman warfare. Equally, the Spartans, in a stroke of ingenuity, utilised battering rams at Plataea in 429 BC, but they were entirely unsuccessful, and do not appear ever to try anything like that again.

I have looked into the use of the term "mêchanêmata" (= machinery), and it is often used (e.g., by the technical writer Philon) to indicate large-scale wheeled contraptions, whereas the simple "mêchanê" (= machine) could be anything from a set of ladders to a catapult.

In the case which Jona highlights, I would be inclined to see the "mêchanêma" as some kind of wheeled tower; Dionysius had introduced these for his siege of Motya in 396 BC. Dionysius was forced to starve the town of Rhegium into surrender, after his assaults failed -- perhaps this was the reason.

The story recalls a later one told about the tyrant Agathocles, who (in 307 BC) nailed prisoners to the sides of a mêchanêma at Utica to horrify and discourage the defenders in the town (Diod. Sic. 20.54.2-7) -- again, surely a siege tower of some description.

Well, that's my threepence-worth ...

[Philhellene]

Comerus Gallus, you should live in Russia: we don`t have problems with copyright, moreover the authors support electronic publishing, because it`s a good advertisement of their works.

[Philhellene]

For example we can create such beautiful galleries like in ancientrome.ru

[url:3gphmw4v]http://www.ancientrome.ru/art/artwork/glyptics/index.htm[/url]

[url:3gphmw4v]http://www.ancientrome.ru/art/artwork/ceramics/gr/index.htm[/url]

[url:3gphmw4v]http://www.ancientrome.ru/art/artwork/mosaic/rom/index.htm[/url]

[hoplite14gr]

I agree with Mr Cambell´s view but I will still insist that the "Chelone" is still an option, because Philostratos is not specific on what engine is used.
Kind regards
Stefanos

[Jona Lendering]

Well, that's my threepence-worth ...

Mr. D.B. Campbell modestly said. Thanks, this was a very helpful contribution. The reference to Diodorus is important. Thanks!!!

[Philhellene]

Some photos are our own work.

[url:3shqm9z5]http://www.ancientrome.ru/art/artwork/arch/rom/rome/arcus-septimii-severi/index.htm[/url]

Use free Russian-English-Russian dictionary if you don`t comprehend something.

[url:3shqm9z5]http://lingvo.yandex.ru/en[/url]

[hoplite14gr]

Thanks useful liks.
Kind regards
Stefanos